Tuesday April 17, 2018 marks our first day back on the road since the collision on January 30, 2018.
There are so many people and companies that helped us get back on the road, here are just a few. To Trailside Bicycle Company out of Canfield, Ohio, whom we met earlier in our tour, for putting together the spectacular ride you will see in coming photos. Trailside worked with "Intelligent Design Cycles", our sponsor, and "SineWave Cycles" to obtain parts that were destroyed in the collision. To the many folks that offered and provided transportation around town. To Kappy and Richard Thompson of "Live Oak Nursery" for allowing a man and his dog to stay at their property while I recovered. To the many folks that send aid to our PayPal account, without which I could not have replaced many of the items that were lost or food and other daily necessities such as bus money. Thank you all. For a more detailed accounting of those who've helped us, please visit my Facebook group, Tour De PACLANTIC.
My departure from Live Oak Nursery was filled with more than a little anxiety. Although my trailer is an exact duplicate of the one that was destroyed, I have forgotten my routine and habits while on the road. New bags and other gear has to be stowed in a different manner in which I was accustomed. For example, my old bags had pockets and compartments where certain daily use items were kept. Other concerns were my lack of physical conditioning and perhaps also mental preparedness (such as, would I have debilitating thoughts of being struck again) . The latter would later and quickly prove inconsequential.
Leaving Live Oak Nursery at noon was not necessarily planned but writing my will and sending out emails to my support group was a necessary task and all that remained of pre ride matters. I said my goodbyes to everyone, yet again, for I had thought I'd be leaving the day before and then again, the day before that. ;-) Daisy hopped right into her crate ,like the old pro she is, and it wasn't long before we crossed the mighty Mississippi River at Highway 84.
Immediately following the river crossing I noticed the Louisiana welcome sign and could not resist a set-up photograph (bike and trailer) with it in the background. Louisiana is 19th state of our tour. It was at this time that Jessica of "The Bakery Cottage" came out to offer water for our bottles and a complimentary treat, to which I thanked her for the offer while declining it at the same time. We took a selfie together before parting ways.
Further down the road I remembered to look for a post office, to mail my will off to Charlie Thomas of
huberslack.com, the fellow that is representing our best interests in the matters regarding our highway collision.
It was a warm day considering that just the day before required a sweat shirt and bottoms to cut the chill. It was also a windy day with 13 to 14 mile per our head winds for much of the way. Gusts of wind would often exceed these wind averages. Water breaks were frequent as I erred on the side of caution due to my lack of conditioning.
As I rode through Vidalia and arrived in Ferriday Louisiana, I noticed that I was logging considerable mileage and still had a good distance to go to my somewhat pre-planned destination. I immediately cursed myself for taking a friend's word on mileage to my destination without mapping it out myself; folks in vehicles, that do not ride bikes, typically have an extraordinarily exaggerated opinion of how far a mile is (10 miles that-a-way may actually be 20 miles). I double checked my odometer reading with Google maps and found that my odometer was way off. It would later become apparent that magnetic/electrical fields from unshielded wiring was affecting the odometer. Having a renewed understanding of the distance we've traveled did nothing for how I felt and I was at this point only half way to my destination. Here in Ferriday I chose to skip visiting some of its popular tourist attractions in favor of conserving energy. On Google+ I have a photo album from my previous visit on our first tour labeled Ferriday, LA.
From this moment on, leaving Ferriday to head west on Highway 84, we will travel in unfamiliar territory once again. Exciting really, but I can't help but think a little about what lies ahead...or what does not. We were blessed by the many folks, folks we've met from the first tour, that were nearby and extended offers of assistance following our collision. My safety net I now leave behind me, more miles each day. Ride on!
I arrived at a church that I thought might accommodate us for the night but on close inspection there was a neighboring house set back from the road about 35 meters, with windows blacked out solid. Normally this by itself would not concern me except for the fact that the front door cracked open and then quickly shut as we passed in front of the house. Stealth camping was now out of the question. I took a break, ate some peanuts, and mapped an alternate location a couple of miles further. My body didn't want to go but the alternate location was more desirable. An hour later I felt I had the energy to make it further and the winds died down a bit, seemingly to accommodate me.
Mt Beulah Church is where I put up camp. Mosquito net only, no rain fly. Earlier I had my heart set on an easy meal of split pea and rice soup, and now, I had no desire to eat. I made an easy to prepare dinner anyway of noodles and tuna and would force it down later if need be. As luck would have it, hunger arrived. I made certain to consume some vitamins and minerals and a good amount of powdered milk and coffee too. I consumed my entire water supply by morning despite the fact that I thought I had been hydrating myself properly along the way.
April 18, 2018, Wednesday, I got an early start and was feeling better than I expected. The winds were not as bad as the previous day but it was a steady head winds of 11 to 12 miles per hour the entire way. I arrived in Jonesville, Louisiana in time to quench my thirst just as it arrived. I picked out a destination according to how my body was feeling. There would be no sense in overexerting myself and this destination seemed reasonable.
Being out of the saddle for as long as I've been becomes readily apparent when the saddle is no longer comfortable. In fact, the pain in my ass was ridiculous. I would hurt so bad I had to stand up to pedal. The act of getting off of the seat and the flash of pain that came with it is quite remarkable if only for an instant. I usually change riding styles more frequently, but the high winds and frequent gusts (add to that the wind shear from traffic) kept me seated longer than I would have liked. Standing on the pedals requires a higher gear, but more importantly, forward momentum. There is nothing exciting about pedaling a bike in cleats, clipped in, and finding yourself stalled or being pushed backwards.
I arrived at T-Towne Shell Truck Stop and just in time. This became apparent when I dismounted my bike and my legs wobbled. I hung out for a while and met an acquaintance from Natchez, Marceau Iry.
I topped off with water and found an excellent place to set camp.
April 19, 2018, Thursday, I took the day off. This morning I woke remarkably refreshed. This evening I am feeling tight in areas. More than likely I will ride out in the morning.
Daisy and I have met quite a few folks while here and several fisher folk have given us some of their catch. Wednesday in particular was a near religious experience with catfish, in the sense that I cooked it right over a fire and it was fantastic! There is no exaggerating how yummy it was, I kid you not. I grilled Daisy one big one exclusively for her. Normally she will munch on one for a half hour, spitting out a neat pile of bones. This dog is a fiend for fish!
